The Albuquerque Living Wage Proposal: Rough Estimates of How Workers and Businesses Will Be Affected by the Measure

In October, 2005, citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico will have the opportunity to vote on a proposal to raise the citywide minimum wage to $7.50 per hour for businesses that employ 10 or more workers. This would represent a 46 percent increase over the current federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, the minimum wage mandate that prevails in Albuquerque at present. The $5.15 federal minimum has been in place since 1997. In addition, for tipped workers, the minimum wage would rise from its current federal level of $2.13 to $4.50. The aim of this study is to provide a rough assessment of what the overall impact is likely to be were Albuquerque to proceed with this measure.